Patricia Heaton defends Chiefs kicker following graduation speech backlash: ‘He’s not a monster’

Patricia Heaton became the newest Kansas City Chiefs fan with a subtle sign of support for kicker Harrison Butker.

Last week, Butker caught heat for a commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College which covered a range of topics, including abortion, remarks about women’s choices, COVID and President Biden.

“I don’t understand why everybody’s knickers are in a twist. He gave a commencement speech,” Heaton said in an Instagram video shared Sunday. “The audience applauded twice during the speech and gave him a standing ovation at the end, so clearly they enjoyed what he was saying.

“The guy is espousing his own opinions and Catholic doctrine, um, so what? It’s his opinion. He can have one. He’s allowed. He’s not a monster for stating what he believes.”

She noted, “He went after bishops much more than he went after women, or what women’s choices are or what he thinks they should be, so I don’t understand.”

Butker’s speech sparked outrage for a number of reasons, but one paragraph where he called out the graduating women in the class and asked them to embrace their “vocation” as a “homemaker” appeared to strike a chord for many.

“I am a Catholic woman who worked through my kids’ childhood, and I believe that God opened those doors for me,” Heaton said. “And thankfully, it was a schedule that allowed me to also be a full-time mom basically.

“I find nothing offensive about what he said, even though my life is very different, and he might even look at my life and say that’s not the way it should be. That’s OK. That’s his opinion.”